


A Party Crasher

by EiriniThalassa



Category: Grey's Anatomy, Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Christmas In July | Christmas Out Of Season, Cute, F/F, Feels, Fluff, Fun, I just had to write it, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wrong Season But I Don't Care
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:26:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24998287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EiriniThalassa/pseuds/EiriniThalassa
Summary: It's the Day Before Christmas and Carina and Maya are an ocean apart.
Relationships: Maya Bishop/Carina DeLuca
Comments: 17
Kudos: 205





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first fanfic, so please, don't be too hard on me. :) I hope you enjoy it. (And if you do, let me know). 
> 
> I know it's the wrong season for this fic, but it just came to me and I couldn't wait until December to post it. :)
> 
> Also, I googled the distances and prices, so no idea if they are anywhere near correct.
> 
> I don't own the characters.

“Maya, what are you still doing up? Is something wrong?” Carina asked as she answered her phone, slightly alarmed but also happy to hear her girlfriend’s voice. 

“No, don’t worry, everything’s fine. I just wanted to hear you for a bit.” Maya said, smiling. “Did I catch you at a bad time?” 

“You can never catch me at a bad time, bella. You know that.” Carina returned with an added touch of mischief: “Are you at your apartment?” 

“No. I’m in a car.” Maya replied, and then quickly asked: “What about you?” 

“I am at my father’s house. We are preparing for tonight’s dinner della Vigilia di Natale. I miss you! I wish you were her with me.” Carina said with a sigh. “It is our first Christmas together, and I am spending it without you.” 

At that moment, Maya had to bite her tongue to stop herself from saying what she really wanted to. “Me too, Car. But, remember, we are still going to have our Christmas together, it’ll just be a few days later.” she said instead. 

It was the day before Christmas, and Carina and her brother Andrew where spending a week in Italy with their father. Carina had offered to cancel it, and stay with Maya instead, but Maya would not hear of it. She knew how strenuous Carina’s relationship with her father was, and she did not want to risk it becoming even worse because of her. Even if it meant spending Christmas without Carina. Or, at least, that had been the original rationale. 

“I know, but it’s not the same.” Carina pointed out in response to Maya’s words, and once again, Maya had to bite her tongue. 

“I know it’s not. But, it’s only four more days and then you’re coming back, and we get to spend New Year’s Eve and Day together.” the blonde said, hoping that would improve the doctor’s mood at least a little. 

“I can’t wait!” came the response and she knew she had succeeded. 

She smiled. “Me neither! Besides, I’m sure you have your hands full with the dinner preparations, and I have already taken up enough of your time as it is, so…” 

“You never take up my time, bella.” Carina interjected. “On the contrary, when I am with you, time always passes too quickly.” Suddenly, her voice changed: “Besides, I am all alone at the house at the moment and I need a little break.” 

Instantly, a rush of electricity ran through Maya. She cleared her throat. “Carina, I am in a car!” she warned. 

“Well, how far are you from your apartment? I can wait.” the brunette returned undeterred: “Andrea e papa’ are not going to be home for a while yet.” 

Maya cleared her throat again. “I’m not quite there yet.” Suddenly, a wide smile spread across her face. “Hey, Carina, what’s your father’s address?” she asked, momentarily confusing the Italian. 

“My father’s address? Why do you need it?” she asked, frowning slightly. 

“We had to take a patient to GreySloan today and Dr. Grey asked me to find it out for her. Apparently, she wants to send some gingerbread cookies to your father.” Maya said. “I know you’ve said it to me once, but I’ve forgotten, and I told her I’d ask you.” 

Carina’s confusion deepened, but she answered anyway giving Maya the address. Maya repeated the address, happy that the doctor did not question her further. “Si’. It’s correct.” Carina said, still trying to process this sudden bit of information. 

“Great! And, is his house the one with a big yard in front, a tree decorated with Christmas lights and a garden gnome with the Santa’s hat?” Maya now asked, her heart beating crazy fast as the taxi she was in pulled up in front of a huge house. 

As Maya’s last question registered with Carina’s brain, for an instant she froze. Then, she ran to the front door, her heart tripling in speed. As she opened the door, she saw a taxi and her girlfriend standing next to it. 

“Maya!!!!” she exclaimed.

She did not even care that she had no coat on, or that she had left the front door open. She reached Maya moments later. And, once again, the benefits of Maya being in top physical condition had worked in their favor because she had managed to keep them both from falling as Carina ran into her and wrapped her arms tightly around her neck. 

“Maya, tesoro, what are you doing here?!” she uttered emotionally as she inhaled the familiar scent. 

“I came to see you.” Maya said smiling, returning the hug with equal enthusiasm. She made a mental note to ask later what that word in Italian meant; although she already had a pretty good idea. 

They both got a little misty-eyed. And after a couple of more moments, they pulled apart at the same time, suddenly realizing where they were. 

“How?!” Carina breathed out, shaking her head in awe, her one hand still holding Maya’s. She wanted to ask so many questions, but all of a sudden, words – particularly in English - seemed to have failed her completely. 

Maya smiled, showing off her dimples thus making Carina’s brain even less functional. “I just wanted see you.” she said, and the normally stoic doctor had to use all her willpower not to kiss her senseless right then and there. 

“Let’s go inside and you’ll tell me all about it.” she said softly. 

But, Maya shook her head. “No.” 

“No? What do you mean ‘no’?” Carina asked, looking at her in surprise. 

“I mean no, Carina.” Maya repeated calmly. “I am not coming in. The same reason why I didn’t want to come here with you in the first place, still applies – I don’t want to cause problems between you and your father.” 

“But, you came all the way here!” Carina was beyond confused. 

“I did. But, that doesn’t mean that I am going to disrupt your Christmas plans.” Maya said. “I am perfectly fine with staying at the hotel for the next three days, resting and waiting in case you have some free time for me.” 

“Ma, e’ ridicolo! It doesn’t make any sense!” the Italian protested. “You did not come all this way to spend Christmas at a hotel!” 

Maya had to admit that the brunette had a point. In fact, she had thought about the same thing just before she had decided to make this last minute transatlantic flight. But, on the other hand, she had also decided that spending Christmas at a nice hotel in Italy - especially with a possibility of seeing Carina - was way better than some of the Christmases she had spent as a kid, training all day. 

“As a matter of fact, I did.” Maya said. “I’ve already checked in and paid for room. And, also, I have this guy here on the meter, so…” She glanced at the taxi. 

Carina raised her eyebrows tellingly. “So… What?!” she returned, taking her hand out of Maya’s and crossing her arms on her chest: “You flew 9000 kilometers just to get out of a taxi in front of my father’s house, say hello, and then go back into that taxi and stay at a hotel all by yourself?!” 

“Yeah, more or less.” the blonde shrugged. 

“Well, guess what - I won’t have it!” Carina exclaimed, emphatically. And before Maya could react, her hand was already on the taxi door. 

“Carina, what are you doing?!”

“I am sending him away.” 

“Carina, you can’t…” the Fire Captain tried as she reached for her arm, gently. “I’ve told him to wait.” 

“Are you sure you want to discuss this out here?” the Italian challenged with a smirk as she turned to face Maya again. “Because, I have no problem with that. But, I should warn you that most of us Italians have a very vivid imagination, and I can assure you that even if he doesn’t speak English, he’ll make a story out of this; one way or another!” 

Maya sighed in defeat. She knew that she stood no chance against the brunette on this one. “Fine.” she conceded: “But, then you have to arrange for my ride back to the hotel.” 

Carina said nothing. She just smiled widely before she turned to the taxi and opened the door. “Salve… Buongiorno. La signorina non avra’ piu’ bisogno di Lei, grazie. Quanto le devo?” 

“25€.” the driver said. 

“Aspetti un’attimo, per favore. Torno subito.” Carina turned to go inside. 

“Where are you going?” Maya asked. 

“To get the money for the fare.” Carina replied. 

“No way, Carina!” Maya promptly protested: “I came here on my own. I won’t have you pay for my fare!” 

Carina may have won one argument with her staying-longer-than-Maya-had-planned curve ball (not that the blonde was complaining about it really); but on this one - she was not going to budge. She opened the taxi door.

“Quanto?” she asked. 

“25€.” the driver said. 

Maya glanced at the meter to check if she guessed the amount right, and took out the money. She rechecked to make sure she had taken out the correct amount plus a tip, and then gave it to the driver. 

“Grazie, signorina. Buon Natale! Tanti auguri!” the driver accepted with a smile. 

“Buon Natale!” Maya returned before she closed the door. She was happy because she had used three of the ten words she had learned on the flight. 

As she turned around, Carina was standing a couple of steps away from her, and even though she was trying to frown, her eyes were smiling. 

“What?” Maya asked. 

“You are my girlfriend and my guest.” Carina said, stepping closer. “You should have let me pay for the fare.” 

“I am your girlfriend, but I am not your guest.” Maya countered. “I am an uninvited party crasher. Literally.” 

Carina laughed, unable to keep even a pretense of a frown any longer. “You are most definitely not uninvited. And, you are not a party crasher either, because technically, there is no party yet.” 

Maya rolled her eyes. “Very funny, doctor!” 

“Thank you, Captain!” Carina batted her eyelashes sweetly as she laced their fingers together and led them toward the house. “I am still not OK with you paying for the taxi, though.” 

Maya grinned. “Well, that’s too bad, because it’s done!” 

As they reached the front door, Carina leaned in and whispered in Maya’s ear, her breath sending vibrations through the blonde: “Well, that just means that I am going to have to find some other way to reimburse you, then.” 

Maya’s eyes closed on instinct, and she felt her throat go dry and her legs weak. These were certainly going to be an interesting few days!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carina's father and brother arrive home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be one chapter fic, but since I've received a few suggestions to write a follow-up of sorts, so I did. It may be slightly OOC for Carina's father, but since this is a Christmas fluff fic, I didn't want anything too angsty. I hope you still like it, though. :)
> 
> There are quite a few sentences in Italian. It felt right, so I went with it. I've tried to translate each sentence right away, instead of at the end, so you get the idea of the dialogue while reading.
> 
> Also, it turned out to be a little longer than expected. :)

About an hour later, Carina and Maya had finished a big chunk of the dinner preparations (Maya had offered to help), and now, they were enjoying some coffee.

“This coffee is out of this world!” Maya said, savoring her espresso. Carina chuckled, but made no comment. “Seriously, the coffee you make back home is good too, but this… This has effectively ruined me for all other coffees!”

Now, Carina laughed. “At the risk of sounding arrogant - this is how coffee is supposed to be made.”

“I don’t…”

The rest of Maya’s utterance was cut short by the sound of the front door opening. The women exchanged glances and stood up, with Carina coming over to stand next to Maya.

“Don’t worry, bella. It is going to be alright.” she offered softly, hoping that she sounded a lot more convincing than she actually felt. Maya gave her a small smile in response. Unfortunately, though, she felt even less convinced of that than Carina.

“ _E’ ufficiale! Durante le feste natalizie, la gente e’ completamente pazza! Non abbiamo…_ **(It’s official! People are completely crazy during the Christmas season. We haven’t…)** Maya?! What… Hey… Hi!” Andrew stuttered in surprise as he entered his father’s living room and saw Maya standing next to his sister.

He quickly put down the bags he was carrying and moved to greet their guest with a hug. Maya was caught slightly off guard by the gesture, but she quickly recovered and reciprocated.

“Hi, Andrew!” she smiled.

“Welcome! I didn’t know you were coming.” he said, giving his sister a telling glance.

“Thanks! Well, to be honest, it was a-spur-of-the-moment-thing.” Maya said. “Carina didn’t know I was coming, either. I wanted to surprise her.”

“And, by the look on her face, I’d say you’ve succeeded.” Andrew noted and the DeLuca siblings exchanged a smile.

“Where is papa’? Carina asked.

“He should be coming in any minute. He bought another set of lights for the front yard and he wants to see where to put them.”

As if on cue, Vincenzo DeLuca entered the living room.

 _“Ho trovato il posto per mettere le luci. Le mettero’ sul…_ **(I have found the place for the lights. I am going to put them…)** Oh, I didn’t realize we were expecting company...” he remarked rather curtly, looking at both Carina and Maya; surprise evident on his face. “Hello, Lieutenant Bishop…”

“Dr. DeLuca…” Maya returned with a polite nod, her heart picking up speed.

“Actually, papa’, Maya has been promoted to Captain.” Carina said, her hand instinctively finding Maya’s.

“Is that so?” Vincenzo DeLuca forced a smile. “Well, in that case… Congratulations, Captain Bishop.”

Maya nodded again. “Thank you, Sir.”

“Now, if you would excuse us for a moment, I need to talk to my daughter.”

Maya and Carina exchanged a quick glance before the Italian went walked out of the living room following her father.

“It’ll be OK.” Andrew offered as he and Maya watched his sister and father disappear into the hallway.

“Thanks for trying to make me feel better, Andrew, but I am not so sure.” Maya sighed. “I should’ve just stayed at home… Or left before he came home.” she said that last part to herself.

“No, you shouldn’t have!” Andrew promptly countered, making Maya look at him in surprise. “Carina missed you a lot. And even though she was trying to hide it, I could see she was sad.”

“Yeah, well, I missed her too, that’s why I came.” Maya admitted.

“And it’s a good thing that you did.” Andrew offered earnestly: “Christmas should be spent with the people you love, and it’s more than clear that my sister loves you, so…”

Maya smiled broadly. “I love her too.”

“Yeah, it kinda shows.” Andrew grinned. “Look, Maya, I hope I’m not crossing any lines here, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen my sister this happy before. And, it really doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why. So, as I’ve said – you’ve made the right decision by coming here.”

“Thanks, Andrew. Really.”

Maya appreciated Andrew’s words. And, while she did not have high hopes when it came to Carina’s father accepting her, it did make her feel good to know that at least her brother had.

“And, for the record, I am very happy with Carina too.” she said.

“Yeah, it kinda shows as well.” Andrew returned with another genuine smile.

Maya sighed. “Yes well, somehow, I don’t think you father will see it the same way. Unfortunately.”

*******************

“ _Che cosa sta facendo lei qui?_ **(What is she doing here?)** ” Vincenzo DeLuca asked, looking at his daughter as they entered the kitchen.

“She came to see me.” Carina said.

 _“Cosi’ al improviso? Senza avvisare?”_ **(Just like that – out of the blue? Without any notice?)**

“I had asked her to come with me, but she had refused because she didn’t want to create problems between you and I.”

 _“Allora, perche’ e’ venuta adesso?!_ **(So, why has she come now, then?)** ” Vincenzo DeLuca asked brusquely.

 _“Perche’ e’ Natale e le sono mancata!_ **(Because it’s Christmas, and she misses me!)** ” Carina returned just as tersely, her voice suddenly raising.

 _“Carina, sei una persona adulta. Non credi che sia arrivato il momento di smettere di comportarti come una ventenne?_ **(Carina, you are an adult. Don’t you think it’s time you stopped acting like a twenty-something?)** ” DeLuca retored, his words oozing with condescension.

“And what does that supposed to mean? How exactly am I expected to behave, _secondo te_?” Carina challenged.

“It’s time you found someone serious and settled down.” DeLuca replied blankly.

Carina laughed dryly. _“Sei veramente incredibile, lo sai?!_ **(You are unbelievable, you know that?!)** I don’t want to find someone else to settle down with. I am with Maya!”

“Please, Carina, we both know this is just another adventure for you… How do they say it… a fling!”

 _“No, papa’, ti sbagli!”_ **(No, dad, you’re wrong!)** Carina countered without missing a beat. “Maya is not just a fling. I love her! La amo, papa’. La amo!”

Carina could see her words had caught her father completely by surprise. She could see he was speechless, and it shocked her as well. Her father was never speechless, that simply wasn’t in his nature. If nothing else, he would at least shout his way out of a bind. However, this time was different. He just stared at her for a few moments – which to Carina seemed like minutes – in complete silence. And, Carina held her breath as she braced for the inevitable onslaught she was certain was coming. But, to her surprise, none came.

Finally, DeLuca Senior took a deep breath. _“La ami? Ne sei sicura?”_ **(You love her? Are you sure?)** ” he asked, looking at his daughter, his voice suddenly surprisingly calm.

 **“Assolutamente!”** Carina tried her best to keep her shock in check. _“Quante volte mi hai sentito dire queste parole di qualcuno, prima d’adesso?”_ **(How many times have you heard me say that about someone before?)**

“And, if I don’t approve?” her father challenged.

 **“It’s your right.** _Pero’ e’ la mia vita, ed i miei sentimenti verso Maya non cambieranno, tantomenno la mia decisione.”_ **(But, it’s my life, and neither my feelings for Maya nor my decision will change)** , Carina returned, her voice leaving no room for doubt.

 _“E quella sarebbe?”_ **(Which is?)**

 _“Stare con lei.”_ **(To be with her.)**

 _“Anche a rischio di perdere la tua famiglia?”_ **(Even at the risk of losing your family?)**

Carina clenched her jaw, her heart breaking a little. _“Mi dispiacerebbe tantissimo; pero’ si’, anche a rischio di quello._ **(It would hurt me very much, but yes, even at the risk of losing my family.)** _”_ she rasped.

 _“Va bene. Se e’ cosi’…”_ **(OK. If that’s the way you feel…)**

Without a moment to spare, Vincenzo DeLuca walked out of the room. Carina rushed after him, certain that he was about to throw both her and Maya out of his house, and possibly, his life.

“I apologize, Captain Bishop, but I had something to discuss with my daughter.” DeLuca said as he walked into the living room a few moments later.

Carina walked in immediately after him, and just from one glance at her, Maya could tell that the situation was dire. Both she and Andrew had stood up. They had heard raised voices coming from the kitchen at some point, and even though she couldn’t understand or hear well what was being said (and she did not want to ask Andrew), she knew that it was nothing good. Carina waked up to her in silence and took her hand, but as Maya tried to meet her eyes, the brunette refused. It made Maya’s stomach churn.

“I am the one who should apologize, Dr. DeLuca, for coming without prior notice, and for disrupting your plans. I’m sure I am the last person you were expecting to see.” Maya now said, looking at the DeLuca Family Patriarch. She did her best to appear calm.

“Disrupted plans are nothing new in our professions, Captain Bishop.” DeLuca Senior stated matter-of-factly: “Besides, constant change and uncertainty are a part of life. Therefore, we must learn to adapt if we wish to survive and thrive at what we do. And, from what I have learned about you from both of my children, you are very good at what you do.”

Maya, Carina and Andrew all looked at him in surprise. Fortunately, Maya managed to recover quickly. “Thank you, Dr. DeLuca. I try to be.”

“I am certain that you do.” Vincenzo DeLuca said. “Now, there is something that I would like to ask of you.”

This was it. Carina, Maya and Andrew were all certain that this was the moment when DeLuca would ask Maya too leave, albeit politely. Instinctively, Carina tighten her grip on Maya’s hand, her heart in her throat.

 _‘Well, it could be worse. At least, he didn’t kick me out screaming!”_ Maya thought to herself as she glanced at Carina and then looked back at Vincenzo DeLuca. She nodded, her jaw clenched. “Of course.”

“As I am sure you’ve noticed by now, I am a very direct person, Captain Bishop.” DeLuca stated. “Therefore, I must tell you that you were right – I definitely wasn’t expecting to see you here. But, as I have said earlier, we must learn to adapt to the unexpected. And as I am sure you have also learned by now, my daughter can be extremely convincing when it comes to what she is passionate about.” he glanced at Carina before he focused his attention on Maya again. “So, tell me, how would you like to join us for our Christmas dinner tonight?”

Three jaws dropped. Literally. And, for a few moments, the silence was almost deafening.

Carina was the first to react. “Papa’!” she practically gasped, looking at her father in complete shock.

Her girlfriend’s voice snapped Maya out of her stupor. Quickly finding her bearings, she even managed to smile as she said: “I would love to. Thank you, Dr. DeLuca.”

“Generally, when I have people at my house for a meal, they call me by my given name – Vincenzo.”

“Fair enough. But, then I must insist that you call me Maya.”

“Affare fatto - it’s a deal!”

As they shook on it, Maya let go off Carina’s hand.

“Now, as long as I have you here, I’ve bought some more Christmas lights, and I’d like your advice on where it would be the safest place to put them, if you don’t mind.” DeLuca Senior went on to say.

Maya nodded. “Sure.” She looked at Carina, and frowned slightly, because although the brunette had offered her a small smile, it had not quite reached her eyes – she still seemed to be in shock.

“ _Perfetto_ , let’s go, then!”

 _“Papa’, aspetta un’attimo, per favore.”_ Carina suddenly spoke, stopping both Maya and her father in their tracks.

As blue met brown, Maya took the hint. “I’ll go and take a look outside.”

Carina smiled warmly now. “Grazie bella.” Maya reciprocated the smile on instinct and walked out of the room.

“Grazie, papa’!” Carina said as she looked at the father a beat later.

 _“Non mi devi ringraziare, Carina. Credo che sia arrivata l’ora che cresca anch’io._ **(You don’t have to thank me. I believe it’s time I grew up as well.)** ” Vincenzo DeLuca returned. “It’s like you said - it’s your life and I have no right to tell you how to live it. Not anymore, anyway. And, while I may not be too happy with some of your choices, I need to learn to respect them.”

Still not quite over the shock of it all, Carina smiled at her father. “Even so - grazie, papa’! Your words really mean a lot.”

Vincenzo DeLuca nodded and patted her daughter's hand. “I should go outside now. We shouldn’t let the Fire Captain waiting.” And, with that, he left to go outside.

 _“Come ti senti?_ **(How are you feeling?)** ” asked Andrew, who had been silent that whole time, as he walked over to his sister.

Carina shook her head in disbelief. _“Ancora non me lo posso credere!”_ **(I still can’t believe it!)**

Andrew smiled broadly. “Yes, it would that Christmas miracles do exist, after all – the great Vincenzo DeLuca has finally admitted he has been wrong about something. Whatever you’d told him in the kitchen – had worked.”

“How much have you heard?” Carina asked her brother.

“Just bits and pieces.”

“I’ve simply told him the truth.”

“You really love her.” Andrew said in a form of statement.

Carina nodded, smiling widely. “I do.”

 _“Sono veramente felice per te!_ **(I’m really happy for you!)** You deserve to be happy. _Ti voglio bene._ **(I love you.)** ” Andrew said earnestly as he took his sister into a warm hug.

 _“Grazie, fratellino! Ti voglio bene anch’io._ And, I am sure that there is the right one for you as well, out there somewhere.”

“Yeah, somewhere in a galaxy far, far away!” Andrew said, making a face, and they both laughed.

*******************

Meanwhile, in the front yard, Vincenzo DeLuca and Maya had found the right spot for the Christmas lights.

“Thank you for your help, Maya.” DeLuca Senior said.

“You’re welcome.” Maya nodded, sensing however that he was not quite done, yet. “Is there something else?” she asked.

“You are very perceptive. That is a very good quality in your line of work.”

“Thank you.”

Vincenzo DeLuca took a quick breath. “My daughter is a great judge of character, and today was the first time that she had openly stood up to me.” he stated. Instantly, Maya tensed up, but his next words made her relax a little again. “However, I must admit that it had made me realize how much she cares about you.”

“I care about her too. A lot.” Maya said earnestly.

“I would imagine so. It took a lot of, how do you say it… guts… to come here after her.”

Maya acknowledged his words with a small smile. It really did. But, Carina was definitely worth it.

“Look, Maya, I believe you and I both know that we will never be friends, or anything of the sort.” DeLuca said and Maya tacitly agreed. “However, I suggest we try to get along for Carina, because she deserves it.”

“She most certainly does!” the Fire Captain assented promptly, and Vincenzo DeLuca smiled.

At that moment, Maya realized it was the first time that she had seen him smiling. Maybe she was going to survive tonight’s dinner, after all!

“Now, would you, please, tell Andrea to come and help me get the lights up?” DeLuca then said.

“Sure.”

As Maya walked back inside, a few moments later, she found Andrew and Carina laughing. She immediately walked over to her girlfriend and even though she had no idea what they were laughing about, she couldn’t help but smile herself.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“Nothing. We were talking about galaxies far, far away!” Carina quipped as she slipped her arm around Maya’s waist.

“Oh, OK.” the blonde said a little confused. “Well, sorry to break up the laughs; but Andrew, your father wants you to come outside and help him put the lights up.”

Andrew rolled his eyes. “I swear… if he keeps this up, he is going to overload the power grid of the entire town!”

“Well, it’s a good thing we have our own Fire Captain on standby, then.” Carina grinned as she looked at Maya.

“Yeah, unfortunately though, I’m pretty sure I don’t have jurisdiction here.” the blonde noted.

“And, I am pretty sure that if there’s a fire emergency, no one is going to care.” Carina deadpanned in response.

Smiling, Andrew shook his head and went to help his father.

*******************

Once alone, Maya turned to face Carina. “What just happened?” she asked with a big smile as she put her hands on the taller woman’s hips.

“Well, let’s see… You boarded a plane, flew across an ocean, and then took a taxi and came to my father’s house to see me. After which, my father invited you to join us for the Christmas dinner, and you accepted.” Carina returned, reciprocating the smile, and locking her arms behind the blonde’s neck.

Maya chuckled. “How very to the point!”

“Thank you.”

“But seriously, though, when you came out of the kitchen, I was sure that he was going to ask me to leave.” Maya said, her tone more serious now.

“I did, too.” Carina admitted. “But I guess he finally realized that, in that case, I would’ve left as well, and he didn’t want that.”

Maya smiled adoringly. “Ti amo tanto, Carina!”

The brunette beamed. “I love you too, Maya. So much!”

They shared a sweet kiss.

“I still can't believe that I am actually here with you, in Italy, on Christmas Eve Day and that we are going to have Christmas dinner together.” Maya said a few moments later. “It’s…”

“Il Miracolo di Natale! A Christmas Miracle!” Carina interjected, smiling.

Maya smiled again, too. “You know what? I believe you might be right!” she said.

Maya Bishop had never believed in miracles before - Christmas or otherwise. She only believed in herself and hard work. But, at that moment, as she stood in the middle of Vincenzo DeLuca’s living room, looking at Carina’s smiling face looking back and her - she decided that, maybe, now was a good time to start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Secondo te – in your opinion / according to you  
> Assolutamente. – I am positive. 
> 
> Aspetta un’attimo per favore – Please, wait a moment
> 
> Ti voglio bene (anch’io) – I love you (me too) - generally speaking, the difference between ‘ti amo’ and ‘ti voglio bene’ is as follows: the former is usually used to express romantic feelings for someone; whereas the latter is used to express affection toward family members, friends… (though, it can also be used in a romantic context, albeit less frequently)

**Author's Note:**

> Vigilia di Natale – Christmas Eve  
> "tesoro" means: treasure, but it is also used as a term of endearment meaning: honey, sweetheart  
> e’ ridicolo – it’s ridiculous  
> quanto? – how much?  
> Salve. Buongiorno. La signorina non avra’ piu’ bisogno di Lei, grazie. Quanto le devo? – Hi / hello. The lady will no longer be needing you, thank you. How much do I owe you?  
> Aspetti un’attimo, per favore. Torno subito. – Please, wait a moment. I’ll be right back.  
> Grazie, signorina. Buon Natale! Tanti auguri! – Thank you, Ms. Merry Christmas! All the best!


End file.
